Bloody Hands, Healing Arms
by Teefa and Co
Summary: A collection of short stories dealing with Prier and Croix's reactions during the game. They range from sweet to dramatic.
1. Style

**Style**

In Paprica Kingdom, activity began bright and early. The farmers who lived in the outlying countryside had to begin their work at dawn to make the most of the hours before dusk, or else people might be forced to deal with a food shortage come winter. Wanderers and mercenaries were also up early. However they just wanted to be the first to find whatever bounty was in the area in order to earn some quick cash; it didn't matter to them if the bounty was a human criminal, escaped animal, or wandering monster, just that the job paid well. And sailors would come to their docks in the pre-dawn mists so they might load their boats with supplies to ship to other lands for trading purposes.

The city was no different. Right after the first sunlight would shine down on the gray stone streets of the capital of Pot au Feu, its citizens were awake and ready for their work. Women would drag the laundry from the previous day and begin scrubbing it in their filled basins. One could smell the fresh cooking bread from Mr. Baguette's bakery on the western end, no matter where they stood. A newsboy ran from wood roofed house to wood roofed house to hand each person their paper. His route would end, every day on the dot, at 7:55 with the small yet grand church in the city's southern end. When he knocked, it was usually the kindly nurse, red-headed Sister Cherrie, who would be there to pick up the paper for Father Salade. She would thank the child with a smile, and return to her patients with a swish of the black fabric on the skirt and headpiece of her habit. As she went through the halls, the Sister would greet the others in their order; each one had been up as early as possible to begin their daily chores.

Of course, not everyone in the Church of the Holy Maiden tended to follow that doctrine…

S...S

Sixteen-year-old exorcist Prier was flopped on her bed in a long, purple nightgown with her shoulder length magenta hair flowing wildly around her head. Though it was eight in the morning, the girl didn't want to get up yet; she was notorious for sleeping in even when there was an important meeting. But as the sun shined through her window, the young girl was forced up, blinking her deep brown eyes.

"I swear," she muttered, "I've got to get a canvas sheet or something to cover that window with."

Though she was very young, Prier was an extremely skilled huntress. She had been training for four years to become a member of the church's Elite Demon Hunting Squad, La Pucelle, ever since she and her brother, Culotte, had left the orphanage. Joining the church had been her idea, as was everything else they got involved in, because of her dreams. As a little girl, Prier, like every child, had been told the legends of the Maiden of Light; she was a woman who was chosen by the Goddess to fight with a Demon known as the Dark Prince who served the Fallen Angel Calamity. But unlike most children, the story had struck a chord with her. After losing her parents in a carriage accident, she had made a vow to protect her brother no matter what. To Prier, that meant fighting the Dark Prince if he reawakened.

'He is my only family,' she had thought to herself, 'If I must die to protect him, then I gladly would.'

Then, Prier remembered the importance of this day. Her friend, Croix, had promised to go out to lunch with her as a "Thank You" for her help. Because the young girl had given him a vision of his past, even though two years of wandering without his memories had yielded up nothing, he was going to stay by her until he discovered what it meant. That was enough for him to thank her in such a way. Though it was only 8:00 a.m., she wanted to get herself ready; free food excited her because her job paid so little.

Because of this, the girl decided to wear something a little nicer than usual; her mentor, Alouette, was forever harping on her choice of attire, even though Father Salade had picked out both of their uniforms. So she put on a nice blue tunic and a violet skirt that swung down around her knees. Smiling at herself in the mirror, Prier felt she was ready. Now, all that remained was to wait for lunch time.

S...S

Around noon, the young woman arrived at the outdoor café that was two blocks from the church. Sitting under a white and yellow umbrella, was a young man of about 20 years; she had no idea how old Croix really was because he didn't remember. His blue eyes were covered by dark sunglasses and his short, rusty copper hair was being blown in the wind. Like her, he'd dressed nice for this luncheon, wearing a lovely white shirt, a black dress jacket and pants, black leather belt with a big silver buckle, and a bow tie around his neck. As always, Croix was smoking; though he did put it out when Prier sat down.

Their first meeting had only been a couple of days ago. Like usual, Prier had been out hunting a Demon with her brother and Alouette. However, Culotte had decided to go off and kill the thing on his own to prove himself a man, even though he was just past his twelfth birthday. Croix had been hired by an outside source to take on the same creature and aided the two women when Culotte had been captured. Prier was in his debt, and agreed to repay it by searching for his lost memory.

Two years ago, Croix awoke in a cave, only knowing his name and nothing more of himself. Between then and when he'd met Prier, there were no clues. But the first time he got a clear look at Prier's face, he saw an image of another girl appear. Her face was the same, but her hair longer and the color of caramel. Perhaps if Prier did something similar to the girl, he would remember more about her.

"Thanks for agreeing to treat me Croix. I rarely if ever get to eat out on my salary," she stated.

Croix replied, "No problem Prier. Freelancers like myself tend to have a little more money than those who work for a church. Mainly because we don't have to worry about finances for our institution. It's not like I charge an arm and a leg for my customers either. But because it goes directly into my pocket, there's no middle man around to take away what I've worked so hard to earn. Get the picture?"

She nodded as the waiter arrived. For drinks, Prier ordered cola while Croix was getting a small glass of wine. Food wise, the young woman decided to go all out; being treated to a meal had its advantages after all. Her order consisted of a large steak fried with mini-potatoes and topped with hearty brown gravy. Croix, on the other hand, wanted a simple burger; he knew he wouldn't be able to get away without paying for a large meal for his companion, so at least he would be conservative. The young waiter nodded at the duo, and walked away to deliver their orders to the chef, as well as to get their drinks.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, Croix cleared his throat. "Hey, Prier. What made you decide to fight with a baton in the first place? It seems like an odd choice for a weapon. Why not a sword or a spear? Or, you could have gone high tech like me and brought a gun or two to kill Demons with."

"I don't really know why," Prier admitted, "Ever since I was little, I was running around with a stick in my hand and fighting rocks and trees with it. Because of this, my father used to tell me I would be a good swordswoman when I grew up. However, around the time I decided to train to be in La Pucelle, I saw one of the older Sisters using her performance baton to hit punching bags with. She explained that given the proper strength, a person could use this as a lethal weapon. So, remembering back to the days when I hit stuff with sticks, I decided on following her words. Anyway, why did you decide to use a gun?"

"Well, right after I lost my memory, I found my way to a small hut owned by a guy who used to work as a Demon Hunter in his youth. He'd made a pair of guns out of Orihalcon, but his sons all wanted to become farmers and sailors. So, with no one else to give them to, he tossed them on me," Croix said.

Prier exclaimed, "Orihalcon! _**the**_ legendary metal Orihalcon! It's never supposed to rust."

Croix smirked; he was used to getting that reaction from people when he explained what his guns were made of. "Yeah, it's that stuff. Legends say that the mineral will never age, that it was excavated from the ruins of civilizations that lived millennia before Paprica Kingdom was born. These guns, in fact, had served that old man for 50 years as a Demon Hunter. Plus I've used them for the past two on my own. In all that time, to hear him tell it, they've never shown signs of age nor have they rusted or broke."

"Sounds…interesting," Prier remarked, "I wonder if I could coat my baton in that stuff too."

"Well you'd have to find some first. It's extremely rare. The only reason that old man had any around was that his father had been a miner and pocketed some of the extras," Croix informed her. At that moment, the waiter appeared with their drinks. He bowed politely, and then left them to converse.

Prier, ever confident, stated, "If it's out there to find, then I'm going to be the one to do so!"

Croix chuckled at her attitude. Never before had he met anyone, man or woman, who could show this much bravado. Prier was a really odd girl, that's for sure. She was different from other people in many other ways as well. Prier was one who tended to get angry about the littlest thing, and at the same time be an extremely loving older sister. Her foul mouth seemed out of place as a Sister of the Goddess Poitreene. In fact, some people had accused her of being a man in disguise. Of course, comments like that were easily met with a punch in the face from an incredibly pissed off Prier.

But there was another side to Prier that Croix could see; she was lonely. He knew that she'd lost her parents when she was only nine and had instantly thrown herself into a motherly role for her five-year-old brother. When she babied him, she was afraid of losing the last of her family. In the few times he'd seen that expression on her face, Croix noticed a strange sense of fear radiating through her eyes.

He let his own fall on her once more. 'I wonder if the Prier we see most of the time was born as a direct result of her situation. If her parents had survived, would she be a more sensitive person? I doubt she'd be working as an exorcist, that's for sure. Plus, she's at an age where I'm sure her mother would begin looking for a husband for her; I've seen girls two years younger than Prier already eying potential candidates that their mothers had found working on nearby farms or fighting in the local militia. I'm sure if her mother had sent her to the church, she would have gone to become a missionary or priestess.'

The young man took a sip of his wine. Meanwhile, Prier began to size up her friend as well. In her life, she'd only met two kinds of men. There were the ones that were extremely by-the-books and didn't like her way of operating any more than Sister Alouette did. Or there were the ones that only spoke to her because they wanted to get into her pants. The latter were disposed of quite easily by Prier.

'I don't know what to make of him,' Prier thought, 'He's not a pervert and he's about as crazy as I am. I've seen him flirt, but it's just in the context of joking around. And he's an extremely skilled exorcist.'

At that instant, their eyes met and locked onto one another. Each saw the emotions radiating in their companion but could not read them. An air of confusion swept across the little table and rested on the lips of the two warriors. Prier began to feel hot and Croix had to take his glasses off before they fogged up. She now could clearly see the crystal blue eyes he often hid away from the world, and had to admit that he looked quite attractive without the glasses on. But Prier didn't know why she'd thought that.

"Here is your order, sir, miss. Please enjoy," called the waiter as he entered with the food.

Prier sighed for the quick rescue; she was beginning to feel extremely embarrassed just sitting there. Now, she and Croix could concentrate on their eating and not on one another. So with a small smile, the young woman stabbed her fork deep into her meat and began cutting rapidly with her knife. Croix soon found out that Prier's table manners were incredibly unladylike. The girl would eat huge bites of food in as quick a time as possible, and make no effort to conceal the noises she made in doing so.

Croix thought, 'No wonder some guys foolishly think she's a man; she sure acts like one at times.'

S...S

Later that night, in his own room, Croix was sitting up in bed. His whole afternoon had been nicely spent; they both had enjoyed occupying time together during lunch. Although being with Prier in that atmosphere hadn't brought him a single flashback, he'd gotten to know her better. And the more Croix spent time with Prier, even socially, the more he was sure he'd found a true friend for life.

The young man looked out his window towards the stars. "I know, one day, I'll discover where I really came from. But somehow, it doesn't seem to matter that much anymore. Ever since I met Prier and joined the Church of the Holy Maiden, I've been thinking that this is where I belong. It's a roof over my head, a place to work in a job I'm good at, and I have companions who would risk their lives for mine. What more could a person ask for? Plus, being around Prier makes me feel more alive than being alone and searching on the road ever did. Sometimes, I just want to stop time from going forward so I can be with my new friends forever. But that's impossible. One day, we'll all have to part, either by death or by moving on with our lives. I only hope that day is extremely far off so I can enjoy this as long as I can."

* * *

**Teefa's Last Words...**

This was actually my Creative Writing Project. And my professor loved it. So sorry if there was too much reiteration of the in-game information here; I'm writing this for a teacher who had no idea what the heck La Pucelle was until I showed this. The girls and I still can't believe I got away with doing this for a class, but I love it just the same. Any excuse to write some real sappy stuff for Prier and Croix is ok in my book. The future chapters are extremely fluff filled and fun.

Anyway…Orihalcon is a fictional metal that I've seen in several games and TV shows with a fantasy setting. The definition I used in the story is based closely on Slayers RETURN, where the main characters had trouble destroying a golem made out of that metal, even by using heavy duty magic.


	2. Curious Dangers

**Curious Dangers**

Croix would be the first to admit it; he was an extremely curious man. Sure he'd been told many times that "Curiosity killed the cat," but it just never sank in. And that curiosity had been known to get him in a lot of trouble. For example, there was that one time, during his two years as a Freelance Demon Hunter, when he'd been in a small harbor town. The fishermen had just come back with their daily catches and were preparing to load them off the boat. Instead of asking someone what they'd brought back, Croix decided to go out and find it for himself. So he went down to the docks to see the fishermen unloading their boats…

…only to find out that their nets were so full that they couldn't see what was around them. One man bumped right into Croix, sending him right into the ocean. When he finally pulled himself out and back onto the docks, the young mercenary's rust colored hair looked like seaweed, his blue overcoat appeared to weigh one hundred pounds, and his sunglasses had nearly fallen off his face, revealing his pale blue eyes. He would also later develop a cold from flailing about the freezing waters.

That was only one incident that would get Croix into trouble over his curiosity. He still would use that instinct to guide him with no concern for the consequences. But it all came to a head one day when, after two years of traveling, he found a steady job as a Demon Hunter for a small church. There, the young amnesiac would encounter someone who would give him hell for his actions.

S...S

"If she catches me, I'm a dead man," he muttered to himself, "Seriously, Prier can get crazy about nothing at all, so if she finds out I was snooping around her room, who knows what she'll do. But I just have to know if there's anything in there that can help me find my past. This girl, and the strange vision she brought on, are the only clues I have." He thought more about the girl in that vision. She had the same brown eyes and rounded face as Prier, but her hair was darker than the young girl's magenta color and she dressed more like a lady.

Maybe there was no connection between the girls. Certainly, Prier hadn't recognized her when Croix had provided a full description. But there still was a chance. For all any of them knew, the two could be distant cousins. If he was really lucky, they had met as babies and some memento still remained; perhaps a toy that both of their mothers had purchased them, or a diary that Prier's mother had written in which contained an entry regarding the visit. If Prier had something that could help Croix remember more about his past, then there might be hope for the young man's future.

And so, later that afternoon when Prier was out for a walk, the hunter sneaked upstairs and into her unlocked bedroom. Taking one glance around was enough to tell him that he was in the right place; the room looked like a tornado had just blown through it. There were piles of boxes filled with stale bread crusts, old newspapers, calendars dating back four years from when she'd first arrived here, an old stuffed bunny with a broken eye, clothes that most definitely were too small for Prier, and many other miscellaneous pieces of garbage. The dress that she wore to church services was hastily tossed over a chair near her desk, which was covered with mounds of writing paper. He had never took Prier for a neat freak. In fact, he expected her room to look a lot worse.

Croix walked over to the desk, careful not to trip over her disastrous piles. As he craned his neck down, the young man let out a gasp. On the papers, in Prier's handwriting, were what appeared to be poems. Not only that, but in each corner she'd written a popular song's name. "Who'd have thought that such a brash young girl has a poet inside of her? Not only that, but a songwriting poet," he told himself.

The lyrics began to tug at his heartstrings; a feeling that brought back a pang of familiarity. "My heart is open; lying on the floor for all to see. Does he love me? Do I love him? I feel the old me begin to wash away whenever I see his sparkling eyes. He makes me feel so safe; safe in a world filled with terror and pain. Why can't I understand myself? Is this love…or is this just an illusion of my lonely heart?"

He began to reflect on their beauty. Who did Prier write this for? For that Air Pirate they'd encountered a few days ago? For one of the young men around town? For a guard in the Royal Palace who helped her when she visited the princess? Or…could it be a poem written for him; Croix Raoul? The very thought of Prier liking him in such a way sent shivers down his spine, and a blush on his face.

"I like her," he admitted, "She's a great girl; brave, strong, determined, knows what she wants and will go for it. Plus, as I said the other day, she's the first girl I've ever found who can watch my back. She thought I was joking, but to me that was a compliment of her strength. I've thought of myself as a professional Demon Hunter of considerable talent. If I say that she can watch my back, then that must mean that she's got considerable talent as well. But does all of this amount to love?"

Croix couldn't answer his question. He knew that the heart could be a complex organ to figure out. Maybe, when he got his memory back, the young man would remember something that would help him to decipher it. But for now, he had to see if there was a clue in Prier's room.

Looking into her dresser drawer, Croix beheld what appeared to be a diary. It was a leather bound volume that showed signs of age. Thinking he'd discovered what he was looking for, the young man opened it up and began reading the first entry.

"Today, I went on my first mission as a Demon Hunter. Too bad that I had to go out with that bossy old bat Sister Alouette! Seriously, she never gives me a break. And my little brother doesn't make anything easier; always being the teacher's pet. They could have sent us out with Sister Olive; she doesn't complain half as much about my habits. But Father Salade seems to really like throwing that woman a bone to further her career. I mean, she came here when she was around fifteen and two weeks after recovering from her injuries, she was already a squad leader in La Pucelle. Whereas I came here when I was twelve and it took me four years just to make the cut. What makes it even worse is that she only looks a year older than me; though since she lost her memory we are only taking a stab at what her real age is. I just hope she learns to lighten up over the next few months," the paper read.

Croix thought, 'So this isn't a diary from her mother. It's something Prier herself wrote just this year. Pity, there can't be any answers inside of it. But, I wonder, what is she saying about me? I'll bet she wrote an entry about the time we first met, and I rescued her brother from the Demon.'

He turned the page to the correct day. "We were ordered to go after a murderer today. Stupid shape shifting Demon ran all the way to Mt. Tarte on us. Then, Culotte got angry at my usual big sister concern and ran off to face it on his own. Dumb kid nearly got himself killed! He's only twelve; shouldn't be taking these sorts of risks. But we were lucky. Just before the Demon struck, another Demon Hunter appeared. He calls himself Croix, and was hired by the boyfriend of one of the victims. I owe him a lot for protecting my only brother; he's all I have in this world now."

The very fact that he'd made her happy, even though he was on a job at the time, made Croix smile. There was this warm feeling in the pit of his stomach; a feeling that told him how much he really cared for Prier. But he did not know how to act on it; or even that it was there.

He wanted to read more, to find out exactly how Prier felt during their other missions together. She seemed to appreciate his knowledge and humor, both of which helped them through their hunts. Now, he had come to the mission they had gone on just yesterday; one where strange creatures had appeared in the forest. Croix prepared to turn the page and discover how she felt about that one…

"What are you doing in my room?" a female voice screamed, "And with my diary as well! I'm going to kill you Croix Raoul!" He turned around to see an incredibly pissed off Prier standing in the doorway. Croix had been so into the diary that he hadn't heard her open the door.

"I can explain Prier. I wanted to know if this was your mother's diary; that maybe you and the girl from my visions are distant cousins or something. If we figure out a connection between the two of you, then I can get my memory back faster. It wasn't because I wanted to know your secrets or anything," he stammered as he was backing up towards the window to escape.

She yelled back, "That's no excuse! You should ask me if there are any old diaries you can look at in my room. Or, if you think she's my distant cousin, ask me if I have any. For your information, both of my parents are only children so if she is related to me she's so distant that I don't know she exists. Now you're going to pay for looking at my personal thoughts…" The girl readied her fist; ready to clock him.

Just then, Croix found himself backed up against the window. Even luckier, it was open to catch the breeze and air out the room. The young man jumped up on the sill, and then down to the ground. But Prier did the same thing and chased him around the entire church. Finally, she managed to corner Croix, sock him right in the face for what had happened, and stormed back to her room.

Croix too went back to his own room. He knew that he shouldn't have read the diary once he found out it wasn't what he thought it would be. But he was just too curious about Prier's feelings for him; he wondered if she was just as confused as he. With a dejected sigh, he returned to his room.

S...S

Prier would never know how lucky she was. For the very entry he had stopped at was where she poured her heart out concerning him. It read, "We were chasing some strange fluffy things in the forest today. Plus, we had to make this moronic girl see the value of her boyfriend was more than just his looks. It got me thinking though…how do I feel about Croix? I mean, he's always there for me, he's smart, he's funny, we can rely on him to help us on our missions, and he's extremely skilled. But why is it that my heart races whenever I see him? Just one look at his face nearly made it jump out of my chest…"

* * *

**Teefa's Last Words...**

I love irony, if you haven't noticed from my other stories; everything turns out to be crazy in them. I even had a Zoids fic nicknamed "Story of 1,000 Ironies?" Either that or "10,000 Ironies." All I know is that I was throwing things around like water and everything got shot to hell; my favorite pastime. Plus we got to see Croix getting himself in trouble with Prier and delve into the fiery Sister's mind. Diaries are always a good commodity.

I also plan on using the poem in this chapter as the basis of another story which will meld poetry and prose; In it, Prier is writing her poem and adds to it at different points in her affection and relationship with Croix.


	3. Moonlight

**Moonlight**

"I don't know why," Croix muttered one evening, "But for some reason I hate going out after it's dark. I mean, I'm not scared of it; if a big wind were to snuff out all our candles I'd be perfectly fine. But I just don't like being away from either a building or a tent in my camp site when night falls."

He was sitting in the barracks for the La Pucelle agents. Most everyone else had left the common room and headed for bed, claiming to want an early start on their assignments in the morning. However, Prier and he had remained behind to relax a little more. She was shining her baton and he was polishing his twin handguns; they both were preparing for another day on the job.

"Oh really…" his fiery 16-year-old companion shot back. She could just picture Croix coming into her room in the middle of the night because his candle had been blown out by the wind. He wanted comfort that only she could provide…yeah right! Like Prier actually was falling for this guy. Or, at least that's what she was telling herself. In reality, it was a vision of not joking parody, but of hope.

There was just something about that mop of rusty hair and those crystal blue eyes that screamed for her, causing her inner self to plead with her to take the initiative and say something to him. Then there was the way he covered his eyes all the time with a pair of dark sunglasses; which, though preventing people from seeing those sapphire spheres, shrouded him in a mystique that made her thrill. Prier shook her head, causing her magenta hair to fly around, and blinked her chocolate eyes. She was officially going to shut down at this rate. Since when did Sister Prier of La Pucelle think that way about men?

He explained, "It's just something that came over me the first night I was on my own. I'd gotten lost and couldn't find an Inn or even a town before sunset. All of a sudden, there was this nervousness about me; I began feeling as if I was afraid of nothing at all. It might sound silly to you but it was serious back then. I've always wondered if whatever took my memory was a tragedy that resulted from staying out too late at night. If that's the case, then discovering my fear might be a way to find my past."

Croix suddenly realized his mistake in mentioning that. For not a second passed before Prier's mouth snaked upwards in a smirk. "Then you should go outside! C'mon, I'll go with you, you big baby. There's nothing to be scared of in the darkness; wandering Demons don't come into the city after all."

Before he could protest, the amnesiac freelancer was being pushed out the door and into the quiet streets of Pot au Feu City by his energetic companion. He felt a pounding in his head; it was the same one that accompanied that first great trip outdoors when his journey began. Something inside was trying to push its way out; a feeling, a memory, or a power…he didn't know what. Being out here in the cool night air only intensified those strange sensations.

"Earth to Criox!" yelled Prier, "Just take a look at the sky. The moon is shining down upon the town and providing light…blah…blah…blah…scientific lecture that I don't care about. But the point I'm trying to make is that even in the darkest of nights, a beauty can shine through. I sometimes wonder if there are Demons out there with a good heart, ones that aren't like the beasts we've fought. It's just something I remember Sister Cherrie blabbing about the other day. She was mentioning that there's a potential for goodness in every being, whether they are human, Demon, and cross-breeds."

And look up he did, half curious and half terrified of making Prier mad. The young man saw the stars as they danced across the night's sky. It was far more beautiful than looking from out the window or through a tent flap. Plus, the second he caught sight of that speckled canvas, that burning sensation inside his head began to go away. Calmness and stability settled into Croix's body.

"It's nice Prier. You brought up an interesting point though; about beauty found in any Darkness. We've fought to protect humans from Demons for some time. But what if there are Demons out there who are fighting to protect their own family and friends from humans?" he inquired.

Prier replied, "It could very well possibly happen. I mean, we work as Demon Hunters in response to a particular threat that comes about. However, there are people who work only to satisfy the feelings of vengeance after some sort of tragedy. Those people might threaten the Demons that don't care to fight humans and would much rather stay among their own kind. It's an interesting thought, the person we'd all think was in the right would most likely not be. Just like when those hunters tried to kill the Lord of Meuniere Forest. Alouette wanted to defend the humans because she believed that only our race was the innocent one. But in that case, they were about to disrupt the order of the forest for cash."

Croix looked down at a small puddle that had formed from a passing shower they'd had earlier. In it, he could see both Prier and his faces. Then, the puddle distorted, and he could see the girl from his visions, long flowing brown hair and the same face as Prier staring back at him. Suddenly, he thought he saw the puddle turning red, seeping from the image of the girl.

Distraught, Croix backed up. What was that he saw? Prier, noticing his distress, turned on a dime. "Calm down Croix. What could be so wrong that you'd panic like that? You're always the one who keeps his cool when something goes wrong."

"It's nothing," he stammered out, "Just my eyes playing tricks on me." With that, he went back inside the church, trying to shake the horrible vision out of his eyes.

S...S

A small bottle of beer lay on the table. Croix, now stripped down to his shorts, grasped it into his hands and began to drink. Though he wasn't prone to getting drunk, the young man still loved a nice glass of liquor now and then. Especially when he had one of his now frequent visions. The young man had long since stopped seeing Prier turn into the mysterious brown haired girl, but he still had several flashbacks that disturbed him; tonight's being the worst yet.

"You'd better not wake up with a hangover tomorrow! Because I don't want to deal with it," Prier yelled as she came back in and saw him with the bottle. But then, she stopped; deep crimson beginning to paint itself across her face. Prier wasn't used to seeing a man with his shirt off before.

Upon realizing that she had come back inside, Croix immediately grabbed for the navy overcoat he'd tossed across the couch. He'd assumed she'd be out a little later than he and the others in the barracks would all keep themselves in their rooms. Never had the young man even dreamed of putting Prier in a situation where she could potentially embarrass herself.

He watched as she passed him on her way back to her bedroom. Croix took another swig from his bottle and began to think. He pondered, 'How much of that reaction was pure embarrassment? I mean, it's not like my chest needs to be covered up like a woman's. So what's there to be embarrassed about?' Putting his beer down on the table, the young man let out a sigh.

S...S

The next day, Prier woke up at the ungodly hour of 5:30; normally she slept until at least 9. None of the others in La Pucelle were up at that time, so she set her sights on lounging on the couch and muttering to herself about how unfair life could be. However, when she arrived in the common area, she found those plans dashed. Croix never made it back to his room and had fallen asleep while stuck in thought after having his drink. Considering his track record with alcohol tolerance, she figured there was a 99.999 chance that he was still sober when he fell asleep.

She smiled as she saw him lying there. 'He looks as innocent as a child when he's asleep. But still with the prowess of a superb Demon Hunter. You can't tell by this picture of him that he's suffering; his pastlessness and what appear to be strange visions are making him almost neurotic at times. Others don't see that even though they might have met him. However, I see through that hideaway exterior and feel the pain inside of him. I guess it pays to be someone who hides her true feelings away.'

Prier took another look at Croix and then returned to her room. Going into her closet, the fiery teen found her spare blanket and brought it back into the common room where she promptly draped it over Croix's body. Instinctively, the young man began pulling it closer like a lifeline; perhaps guarding him against an unseen nightmare…

S...S

Though Croix's dreams had been extra painful that night, the second he felt that blanket cover him they began to subside. He never found out that the timing of the act coincided with the weakening of his nightmares. Nor did he realize the blanket was Prier's; when he returned to his room, she snuck out and brought it back to her own.

However, following the events of the previous night, Croix's nerves began to subside a little. He didn't feel jittery when he was out in the nighttime and his nightmares were somewhat less frequent, though he never could stop the painful voice inside his head completely. For Prier, she felt a newfound closeness to him; a closeness that would eventually grow into the love they both longed for.

* * *

**Teefa's Last Words...**

This chapter was made to be filled with a lot of Prier/Croix fluff. Fluff is good. And Croix without his shirt on is even better. I also was aiming at a friendship building experience with this. Seeing as the game doesn't show the little interactions outside of the main story, I wanted to explore things that may have happened between Prier and Croix in between the chapters.

This is also based on the fact that in Chapter 10 Angelique was talking about how night isn't good for Croix; he may not remember his past issues but it doesn't mean he can't still feel them. It also shows how Prier breaks him through a problem that haunted him when he was younger.


	4. Botched Rescue

**Botched Rescue**

"Well, considering we don't know where exactly the Demon got to," Prier remarked, "I'd say our best bet is to split up. Croix, you go to the right and I'll go to the left. If either of us finds the Demon, let out a loud scream. That way we might be able to get back together sometime during the fight." She promptly brushed her magenta bangs out from the front of her deep brown eyes.

"Got it Prier! And if we can't find anything, then meet back at this spot in an hour. Then we'll devise another plan of action," Croix added. Reaching into his pocket, the freelance Demon Hunter pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a match, and stuck the stick right into his mouth.

He fiddled with his dark shades and for a split second, Prier caught a glimpse of his pale blue eyes. She mentally decided that the combination of those eyes and his rust colored hair looked incredibly attractive. The girl immediately shook her head; refusing to believe she was thinking like that about any man. Then with a wave and a nod, Prier took off down the left-hand path; leaving Croix to take the right.

The young man held up his precious gun; its cross shaped ivory-colored casing gleaming in the sunlight. With a swish of his blue overcoat, he started off down the second path. But even though he knew she was perfectly safe on her own, Croix couldn't help but worry about Prier with every step he took.

He thought, 'Sometimes, I swear I'm more than just amnesiac; I'm crazy as well…'

S...S

Meanwhile, Prier was scouring the forest; her eyes scanning every nook and cranny with every step she took. The girl didn't want to be ambushed; with all the covering it would be easy for a Demon to sneak up on anybody. Not that she didn't have any confidence in her own abilities, it was that she didn't want to look like a total idiot. After all, no matter what might happen to her in the future, Prier could definitely not handle having her image tarnished in any way.

"Especially since it's Croix and me on this mission. I'd just die of embarrassment if he caught me being ambushed. It would be bad enough having a total stranger, one of the other girls in La Pucelle, or my brother find me in trouble, but if it were Croix then I wouldn't know what to do…"

But just as the girl registered that she was talking, extremely loudly, to herself, she heard a low growl. Then, from out of the bushes in front of her came a huge, snarling beast. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a fox; having the former's bushy coat and long snout and the latter's cone like tail and thin legs. Its fur was blacker than midnight and the eyes were redder than blood.

"You want to fight me beastie boy," taunted Prier, "Then you're going to be feeling the pain for the next thousand years! Repent!" With that, she sped towards the Demon with all the strength in her thick, muscular legs. Just before reaching her target, the girl grasped her white baton and reeled her arm backwards like she was casting a fishing line. After gaining the momentum, she thrust it forwards with incredible speeds; hitting its wolfish head with the small golden cross that capped off the similarly ornamented head of her baton.

Instantly, the beast was tossed backwards into a tree. But it ran at Prier again and she thrust her fist right into the nape of its neck. Pained, the creature let out a tortured howl. The noise rose up throughout the entire forest; sounding like a scream of pure agony.

S...S

"Was that Prier just now? She must have found the beast. From the sounds of that scream, it has to be a killer; she's not one to cry out like that. I've got to go help her," said Croix. Instantly, the young man shoved his gun into the holster and took off in a run. He was panting, not used to running this fast for this long. However, thinking his friend was in danger, the young man knew he couldn't goof off. What was his own comfort and health in comparison to that of the young woman's?

Croix suddenly stopped short when he saw the Demonic being standing before him. Because he was at its back side, however, he could not see the fact that the enemy was on the defensive from Prier's kicks and punches. Instead, he thought she was the one being attacked by this thing.

The young man pulled out a gun, and muttered, "Playtime's over furrball! You're going to leave the lady alone right now, or face my wrath." Then, he grabbed the second gun, and fired them both at the exact same moment; hitting the creature point blank in its back.

Instantly, the beast turned to see who'd shot it. But it never managed to figure it out. For Croix was so close to the enemy that he was tossed aside by the swinging of its arms. He was thrown towards the side of a high crevice and nearly slipped down to the bottom. Only a quick grab for the edge saved his life. Croix could only hope that Prier would be able to see him when she turned around; else he'd be waiting around for a long time.

While the Demon was trying to find the attacker, Prier rushed it again. This time, she knocked the creature square in the head with her baton and went instantly into a kick of her legs. It too was thrown towards the side. Only in this case, the enemy lost its footing and tumbled down to its death.

Prier walked over to the side and looked down to check if her enemy was really dead. "Well, that's that. Didn't catch a side or anything; not like such a beast is smart enough to do so. And I didn't even need Croix's help to deal with it. Looks like there's nothing more to do here; just find Croix and go back to town to…HOLY GODDESS! Croix! What are you doing down there?" For as she'd continued to scan the crevice, she eventually caught site of her partner dangling.

"I came to help you," he admitted, "Heard a scream and thought you were in trouble. But I guess shooting that beast point blank wasn't the smartest thing; it turned around and knocked me over. I was lucky that I had time to get a handhold."

"Lucky is right! You could have been killed you moron. Well, at least I know now why that monster turned around while I was fighting; and what that loud sound was. Oh, and for your information, I never let out a scream; I didn't get hurt at all. That sound was probably the creature's howl after the initial baton-smacking. Just give me your hand and I'll pull you up," she said.

Croix waited until the girl was holding out her right hand before letting go with his left one; reaching out to her in the same movement. Once she had his left hand, he gave her his right as well. Then, Prier took her left hand to grab onto the side, and placed both her feet apart to dig in and maintain her ground. With that, she pulled Croix up from the crevice.

Once safely on the ground, the young man let out a few heavy breaths; his heart had been pounding with fear ever since he'd heard the scream. It puzzled him as to his overreaction on the situation. Usually, Croix thought ahead when he fought while Prier was used to jumping in without regard for her own safety. Why was he suddenly acting so stupid? He knew Prier could take care of herself until he arrived; even if he took a little time.

But when he looked at Prier's face, he didn't see anger. Instead, he saw worry and concern for a friend who had almost died. Croix knew that Prier's one sensitivity was death, due to her parents dying when she was only nine. This mindset made her overprotective of her little brother and he understood that; she didn't want to lose the last of her family. However, why were her reactions for him so similar? They'd only just met a few weeks ago.

The thoughts continued moving around in his head. He wanted to say something, to try and get her to help make sense of his emotions. But the young man's pride helped him to stay silent. Instead, he wordlessly walked towards the entrance to the forest; wanting to go home and put it all behind him.

S...S

That night, in the safety of his own room, he thought, 'I really have to stop this. Something about me has been changing ever since I met Prier. Before then, I was able to use my own discretion when going about a rescue mission. But when the person who I thought needed rescuing was Prier, I panicked. Something made me think I was never going to see her again if I didn't hurry.'

Quietly, Croix snuck out of his room and into hers. He found the fiery 16-year-old lying in her own bed; dead to the world and breathing peacefully. There was nothing on her face to indicate worry or pain. All he could see was her beautiful smile; a smile that always captivated his eyes.

Just looking at her gave Croix a sense of peace. There was just something about Prier that appealed to him, calling his very soul towards hers. 'I don't know what this feeling is; why the very sight of your sleeping body has made me happy. But I can't deny that I like that feeling. Maybe, just maybe, I'm falling in love with you.'

Before leaving, Croix pulled her covers up higher on her body so that they touched her chin. Immediately afterwards, he heard a low murmur that sounded like, "I'm ok; thanks for your concern though." Smiling, Croix brushed a few strands of hair from her face; then left for his own room again.

* * *

**Teefa's Last Words...**

I had a lot of fun with this one. Mix panic and fear in with humor and I get my jollies. Plus a minor dose of fluff cuz that's always nice.


	5. The Search

**The Search**

Sixteen-year-old Prier held the leash tightly. On the other end was her strongest ally, a trained fighting bear named Bear Socks. He had his bright black eyes locked onto the trees ahead and his teeth were barred. Something, most likely a Demon, had spooked the 800 pound creature and he was getting ready for battle. Unfortunately for the fiery Sister, her pet bear wasn't one for waiting around and calmly seeking his opponents out. No! He preferred to rush into the fray with more fury than Prier herself.

Suddenly, Bear Socks took off like a light brown tornado, rushing towards the forest beyond. Poor Prier was tossed backwards; the white apron she wore over her short, purple dress flew up for a moment, and her head hit the dirt road. Instantly, she was knocked out.

S...S

She woke up in her room with the moon shining in her window. Upon examining her shoulder length magenta hair, her dark brown eyes went wide. There was a small section off to her right side that looked as if she had given it red highlights. Upon further inspection, Prier realized that it was her blood, and a pat on the back of her head revealed bandages were encircling it. The young girl spied a blood-stained rag hanging over the chair; it had apparently been used to bind the injury her fall had caused.

"Thank goodness," a familiar male voice called, "I was worried that you would be out all week."

Looking up, Prier spied her friend, Freelance Demon Hunter Croix Raoul, entering the room. His rusty hair was damp with sweat, the long blue trench coat that usually covered his white dress shirt and blue pants was nowhere to be seen, and she noticed that he wasn't wearing his favorite sunglasses; the latter feature allowed Prier to see his enchanting crystal blue eyes for once. Croix sat down in a chair next to Prier's bedside.

"Do you really think a little thing like a fall would keep me down that long?" she snapped back.

Croix was taken aback, but only for a second; he knew she was probably just annoyed at being injured in the first place. Instead, he unraveled her bandages and checked the spot of her head where the blow had occurred. The young man smiled when he discovered that it was beginning to scar up.

She told him, "Well, I can't rest long in any case. Bear Socks ran off; either he's sensed an enemy or is going after some discarded food again. I'd better get my ass in gear and go searching for that stupid animal." With that, she grabbed her white and gold baton from its resting place on her wall sheath and headed for the door…

…only to have Croix stop her with concern reflecting in his sapphire eyes. "I'll go with you; after all, it'll be easier to find that crazed bear if we work together. Plus, you just slept for twelve full hours."

With her cheeks flushing, Prier reluctantly agreed. He was right; having two people in any group is always safer than one. But she didn't tell him that. Instead, she walked out the door and pointed him in the direction that she had traveled while taking her pet on his morning walk. With their eyes and ears focused on watching for danger, the duo continued down the path towards where Bear Socks had run.

S...S

A slight rustling in the nearby blackberry bushes caused Prier to turn her head around. Nodding to Croix, the young woman went to inspect what it was. Upon touching the shrub, Prier felt something rush past her legs. Once more, she turned her head and sighed. It was only a little bear cub; its mouth was dyed purple from eating the blackberries for its supper. When the creature noticed that the two humans were not about to attack, it darted back into the bushes to continue enjoying its meal.

"Well…" Prier muttered, "That was, quite random."

"Quite indeed," replied Croix. He looked towards her and saw a red tint covering her cheeks.

She looked ahead on the road. But before taking another step, the little cub ran out of the bushes once more. It looked back, nodded, and turned its attention to the path. To Prier, it appeared as if the little one wanted them to follow. With no better ideas, and the fact that there only was one real path, she and Croix began to walk after the cub as he continued slowly down the road.

The young girl admitted, "I never thought we'd be following an animal. But when you think about it, Bear Socks is a bear. So's this little guy. Meaning the two might have run into one another and somehow he found a way to inform the cub that he needed to find us." Croix nodded in response; he was sometimes a man of few words and other times he had a lot to say. She knew that his moods tended to dictate how and why he spoke to others. All in all, to Prier, she liked that quality about him.

She wasn't partial to romance and preferred to seek ways to get stronger. However, upon meeting Croix, there was something different in his eyes. They reflected kindness, and yet at the same time a horror from seeing much bloodshed while he was on the road.

Croix, meanwhile, was silent not because he wanted to alienate her. In fact, he just didn't know what to say in this situation. 'I've never seen Prier as vulnerable as she was this morning. When I saw her, I felt my heart stop. Though I don't want to admit it to anyone else, I was afraid that something terrible had happened to her…'

_He saw himself heading towards the forest with the desire to be alone for a little while. Back at the church, the girls were all preparing for the special service they were having later in the week. So Croix had picked up his guns, threw his coat on, and set off for the one place near the bustling city where he had found quiet. However, not too far down the road, the young man sensed an all too familiar stench; it was the smell of blood. Caution began to illuminate his every step as he continued for now the worry of an ambush from wild beasts lay in his mind. After all, Croix Raoul hadn't come as far as he did in the past two years by being a fool; he was extremely skilled at protecting himself from any creature. But when he turned the bend near a giant tree, the young man let out a gasp as he saw his closest friend lying unconscious with a blow to her head._

_Fear and panic suddenly took hold of his soul as he felt a sense of deadly déjà vu begin to come on. But it only lasted a second because Croix knew that Prier's life might very well be in his hands; even if she didn't die of blood loss, some animal might come around and decide to have human for supper. So he bandaged her wounds, took off his coat, gathered the girl into it, and carried her back to her room for medical care._

'If she had died,' Croix thought, 'I feel as if my life would cease to have meaning. Though I don't know why or want to ask her for clarification; Prier is probably still mad about having to be rescued.'

He was so lost in thought that he didn't see the girl stop short in front of him. Croix slammed into Prier, pushing her forward and sliding over the trail. But she didn't yell, or slap him. Instead, he could see her face once more turning red with embarrassment. And, when Prier looked up at Croix, she could see he too was blushing. They seemed to hold their position for quite some time. But then the young cub came up to them and began tugging on Prier's sleeves.

"Sorry about that," Croix stated as they dusted themselves off.

An extremely red faced Prier replied, "Nothing broken so I guess everything is all right." Mentally, she told herself, 'As long as you weren't hurt. I wonder if my feelings really are true. Ever since that battle with those walking hair balls in the forest, I've been questioning my own sanity. You've changed my life in more ways than one. Before now, I only thought about my personal success and not about forming a lifelong bond with anyone. However, I seriously believe that what I really want is to be loved. My motives for attaining prominence as a Demon Hunter were not so much as for power, but a want for respect and love that I had never really thought about.'

Suddenly, the young girl's inner monologue was interrupted when a huge animal crashed into her, knocking her down to the forest floor once more. When Prier turned to look up, she only saw a big, pink tongue diving down to lick her face in a friendly gesture. It was Bear Socks returning rather playfully.

"Ok boy, playtime's over," Prier stated, "We're going to go home." She started shoving her pet off of her. He immediately walked over to the young cub. Then, a second cub came out of the forest. Though looking identical to the first in markings, this new animal had a few scars and a torn right ear. Croix looked the creature over and found that the wounds were quite recent, perhaps within the last day or so. This led him and Prier to believe that perhaps Bear Socks had sensed this little one in danger and rushed to help out. Then, while he cared for the injured baby, its sibling had gone to find help and realized that their savior's scent was on the two humans.

"How about it Prier? I'm sure Sister Alouette won't mind if we bring two more pets back with us," Croix suggested. Not like Prier would care what Alouette thought; the two of them were notorious for disagreeing about almost everything. As it was, Prier was already picking up the injured baby.

Together, they walked out of the forest and back to the church. Prier, ever the sly one, managed to hide the two cubs in her room for a good 15 hours until Alouette came in and noticed. Luckily, she'd stopped questioning her friend's crazy behavior long ago and left without a single word. The male cub, the one with the injured ear, became known as Cub Prince and his sister, the one who had gone looking for help, was named Cub Princess.

As for Prier, she was just lucky that Croix was a good fisherman because someone had to feed three bears with an incredible appetite. If they didn't have lunch on time, the trio of animals was known to raid the pantry and wreak all kinds of havoc. However…that's for another story.

* * *

**Teefa's Last Words...**

Yes that ending indicates that there will be a sequel to this story. I only wrote it in fact cuz my professor saw those words and commented about seeing more on this. So I took another idea of mine, and turned it into another adventure with Prier, Croix, and the three bears.


	6. Fish

**Fish**

The Church of the Holy Maiden was usually a peaceful place. All of the Sisters and Priests that lived there were quiet no matter what the chore was, their strict discipline keeping them in line Such was the case on this Saturday morning. Several of the girls were busy scrubbing the yellow stoned tiles and sweeping the long red carpet in the receiving hall. A few others had gone to the library to study and take advantage of the quiet atmosphere. Still more were in the dining room eating corn muffins for a late breakfast. It was no different than any other day…until the loud crash was heard from the back kitchen.

One of the girls who had been eating was 16-year-old Prier. She'd been sitting at the table with her 12-year-old brother, Culotte, and discussing the results of their latest mission. But the instant that the crash hit her ears, the girl jumped up like a chipmunk and rushed to the kitchen with her magenta hair flowing behind her. The red haired boy was left behind, blinking his brown eyes in confusion.

"Those brats!" yelled Prier, "How in the Goddess's name did they get out of their room?"

She rushed through the wooden doors, and found a mess that made her bedroom, which was always a disaster area, look like the royal palace's auditorium. The flour had been tossed from its tins and was now spilled all across the once yellow stones of the floor. Some gravy now flowed freely down the side of the light silvery metal sides of the stoves. Food had been removed from the pantry; a box of cereal here, the rice over near the wall, mashed potatoes lying by the counter. And standing in the middle of the mess, Prier could see two tiny tan bear cubs covered in both flour and the gravy.

"I knew it was you two. Cub Prince! Cub Princess! Get over here now so I can clean you and this room up before anybody else finds out," called the teenager. The one with the torn ear, Cub Prince, sneaked forward first. His sister, Cub Princess, followed shortly after, recognizing Prier's nervousness.

Prier knew that she had to make things look alright again. However, Culotte had seen her rush off towards the kitchen, as had the other Sisters in the mess hall. If she came waltzing out with her two bear cubs, clean or not clean, they'd know that something was up. Culotte would suspect her even if he didn't see the two ursines alongside his sister; the boy knew her too well and always figured out when she was hiding something from him. But how would she do all of this on her own and still get away safely?

The teenager muttered, "No time to think about that now; I've got to clean this mess up."

S...S

An hour later, the entire kitchen was flour and gravy free, and the boxes were put away. The only thing left to do was to wash up the bear cubs. But now she had to think of how to get out of the kitchen without alerting someone else to the mess. It still perplexed Prier as to how nobody realized it sooner.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. In her nervous stupor, Prier turned around with rapid movements that seemed as if she had attacked wings on her feet. She slammed whoever it was with a karate chop across the stomach, knocking him into the wall near the door. Then, looking at her victim, the girl blushed. It was Croix, her closest friend in La Pucelle. The blow had knocked his glasses half-off so it hung on his right ear and fell diagonally towards his chin. It was one of the few times Prier had seen even one of his blue eyes uncovered. Croix clutched the back of his head and ran his fingers through his rust colored hair. "That hurt Prier. And after all I did to keep people out of the kitchen to save your skin."

"That's why nobody came in!" exclaimed Prier, "What in the world did you do, Croix?"

"Well, when the crash sounded, I knew it was the cubs getting into mischief. Since I had Bear Socks with me, eating a small piece of my steak, I let him loose in the mess hall. Luckily, he was fed and didn't steal anything. All he did was wander around and try to play games with half of the girls. They all assumed he accidentally knocked something over while playing with somebody else. Anyway, I think we should get the twins fed before they start more trouble. Plus, we've got to make sure they're washed up."

Prier replied, "Sorry for knocking you over then. I thought there was someone sneaking up on me and didn't find it funny. But how are we going to…that's it! We'll take them fishing at the lake! They can take a swim and wash off, while you and I get them food. And maybe they'll catch some on their own."

With that, she and Croix left the kitchen to get their supplies. Luckily, after all this time, everyone had taken their leave of the dinning room to go about their daily responsibilities. So nobody saw two humans with a duo of cubs splashed with flour and gravy leaving the kitchen. Prier was able to sneak up to the dorms, get some fishing poles out of Croix's room, and come back down without being caught and questioned by anyone; especially Alouette or her brother. Afterwards, she met him, the cubs, and Bear Socks at the entrance to the church. Then, the group of five headed towards the lake to go fishing.

S...S

The lake itself was a marvel of aesthetic beauty. It stood in the center of a small forest glade with an open area of grassland underneath. Its waters were shiny sapphires that seemed to dance with the help of the light and the wind. It was enchanting, a wonder that many humans couldn't understand.

Prier quickly learned that fishing was difficult. She lost count of the number of times she'd pulled up nothing after a few minutes in the water. Croix, on the other hand, was quite successful in his technique. He often got a bite after only a few seconds. Each silvery fish was tossed out of the water, pulled off the hook, and thrown into a bucket that they'd kept nearby to hold it in. With each catch, the young man would grin with satisfaction while his friend tightened her grip on her rod.

At the same time, Cub Prince and Cub Princess were drying off on the shore near Bear Socks. The three had jumped into the lake the second they'd arrived, grabbed the first fish they could find with their mouths, and charged back on land to eat it. The three bears were slowly devouring the sweet meat, savoring every bite as if they were human; this has no doubt come around as a result of living among the members of La Pucelle. They paid no heed to the bucket where Croix was tossing his catches, he'd planned to give them more if they began eyeing it anyway, nor to Prier's frustrated brows.

The girl suddenly tossed down her pole. "This sucks! I can't catch a darn thing with this!"

"Calm down Prier," Croix stated, "How about I give you a hand? First off, you can't keep moving the rod around that quickly, it'll scare the fish. Slower movements might attract it, but those fast ones are libel to make them flee in terror. And you've got to show some patience towards catching them as well. Just because you haven't caught it in the first five seconds, doesn't mean it's not out there."

He went behind her and pulled her into his arms so he might also grip her fishing pole, a deep red blush beginning to cover both of their faces. Then, the two of them cast it together. Though Prier was impatient from the very start, Croix's firm grip prevented her from jerking the pole around. With that, they began to wait it out. Prier tried to look back once, but the firmness of his grasp prevented much.

A minute later, the line began to lurch. Knowing that Prier would want to do this on her own, her companion wisely stepped away so she could jump to her feet and begin pulling back, initiating a tug of war with her fishy opponent. It tried to pull her as best as it could while she dug her feet into the grassy lake shore. With the might usually reserved for a rampaging Demon, Prier thrust every muscle in her arms towards the task of reeling in her catch. She swung them backwards, and the fish flew up into the air and danced down towards the ground below. The creature landed near her feet, and was still.

"Take that you stupid fish! I've finally got one!" Prier exclaimed cheerfully. Then, she looked over at her partner; the redness had yet to disappear from his cheeks as well as hers, but she didn't see her own face and couldn't think of it. The girl whispered, "Thanks for the help Croix."

He felt his body begin to get even hotter. "Don't mention it Prier. Now we both caught one."

"You're right," she added, "Let's pack up and go home." With a nod to the trio of bears, Prier grabbed the bucket and her fishing pole, while Croix grabbed his pole and the tackle box. The animals could see their partners leaving and headed out to follow. Their fish were gone, however they knew that Prier was carrying the extras in the metal bucket at her side; they would get some more for supper after returning to the church. But, being trained monsters with no way to comprehend human society, they were blissfully unaware of what was transpiring inside the minds of the duo of human exorcists.

'I was touching her. Goddess, that felt good. I mean, I might be getting hotter by the minute and probably look redder than Culotte's hair, but it was worth it. This girl, she makes me feel so calm, so serene. What is the spell that she's been weaving over me since we met?' Croix thought.

Meanwhile, Prier too was wrestling with her thoughts. She mused, 'If he touches me again, I am so going to slug him. Who does that man think he is, grabbing onto an innocent girl such as myself. But, when I stop to think about it, that didn't feel too bad. If it were any other guy, he'd be halfway to the moon by now. However, with Croix, I don't want to punish him for touching me. In fact, if it wouldn't ruin my reputation as a tough warrior woman who doesn't need a man's caress, I'd ask him to do it again. There is no way I'm going to throw away my pride for a little pleasure; I have to maintain my strength in Mom and Dad's memory. They need to see that their daughter can take care of herself and her brother.'

They passed in silence, fear and pride keeping their mouths shut and their minds blocked. Love, though it would bring them joy, was kept from their grasps by their own stubbornness. The two fought back thoughts on wonder, and pain from keeping their secrets. To both of them, it did not matter. It would be some time before they could open up and express themselves openly.

**

* * *

**

**Teefa's Last Words...**

Now about the chapter. This idea started out as a simple fishing trip. But after I decided to make a sequel to the bear story, I altered it. The thought of Prier fishing with Croix and ending up snuggling with him was just too good to pass up.


	7. Fears

**Fears**

Croix looked around at his surroundings. Before, he was sitting in the back pew of the Church of the Holy Maiden. But in the midst of his reading of the Holy Book, he was slammed in the head by a stray boomerang that had gotten away from someone. Then, the young man slipped into delirium.

However, when he woke up, he didn't see the central chamber of the church, the hospital, nor his own room. Instead, it was a world of swirling blue air and ground. He could see nothing besides himself and the energy that consumed this strange void. Croix turned to his left and began walking forward in hopes of figuring out what was going on. Hopefully, he would come across someone who could tell him how to get out of here and back to where he had come from.

"I sometimes wonder why I put up with this," Croix muttered, "My life is one big oddity."

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Turning on a dime, the young man gasped! It was Prier. But she was dressed in a long black dress with a white shirt underneath, had a black headband in her magenta hair, black slipper-like shoes on her feet, and carried a gold cross in her hands. There was a blankness about her brown eyes, and her mouth reflected neither smile nor frown.

"Croix! I've been looking everywhere for you. Let's go back home," she whispered in a voice not her own and yet familiar at the same time. Then, her hair grew long and changed to a honey color.

The young man held onto his head and knelt on the ground. This was her, the girl who had haunted his visions ever since the first time he'd laid eyes on Prier. And her voice, it was so…memorable. She closed her eyes and smiled, looking more peaceful than the Goddess Herself. Then, the mysterious lady held out her hand as if to beckon him closer to her. Croix rose to his feet and stepped forward with a hope that his questions would be answered at last. This woman was the key to his past, he just knew it.

Just as he neared the girl, he heard her scream in terror. Flames suddenly began to rise up from the ground, glowing with a deathly black aura. Then, he could see the woman was beginning to dissolve, blood pouring over the ground and into the inferno. Finally, all was still.

It began snowing. Croix saw the void around him turn to a white hill with a lone tree providing the only greenery. As he stared at it, the ground beneath it began rippling. Then, a thick crimson substance began flowing down from the peak. Shock began to creep up on the man's face as the young woman from his visions appeared, lying on her side and bleeding from a wound in the stomach. As he began lurching forward to help her, the young girl became awash in light. When it faded, it was no longer the form of the woman who haunted Croix's vision; the body had become that of Prier.

As if he were possessed, the distress on Croix's face began shooting up exponentially. He ran to the young woman and cradled her dead body in his arms. Tears escaped his horrified eyes as he felt her lifeblood run down the front of his blue overcoat.

Just then, a voice called out, "Fight, Croix Raoul. Only I can help you to avenge this woman."

Croix became hyper aware of his surroundings as he began looking from side to side for the source of the mysterious call. "And how will you be able to do that? Who killed her and why? If I know that, I can figure out how best to avenge my friend. The Demon who did this will pay dearly for its transgression. Nobody messes with Prier and avoids my wrath."

"It wasn't a Demon, but a human," the voice called back, "You must awaken, then we can avenge her slaughter. She did not deserve her fate, only you can free her spirit…"

S...S

Croix sat up straight in the hospital bed. He was sweating profusely, gasping for every single breath, and his eyes were filled with a stark terror. The young man held onto his head and found that it had been bandaged by someone; the most likely candidate was Sister Cherrie, the head nurse. Why had he dreamed something so horrible? And about Prier of all people; she wasn't likely to be injured easily.

"That strange voice, it was so familiar. Was that a memory gone awry, or a premonition of the future? I hope Prier isn't going to be hurt on account of me," he managed to sputter out.

At that moment, the woman in question entered the room. She had heard about his little accident and had come to see if her friend would be ok. Prier could clearly sense the fear housed inside of him, and lay a cool hand on his broad shoulder. It was quite uncharacteristic of the fiery Sister to worry so much so openly about anyone. Then again, to her at least, it was uncharacteristic of the mysterious bad ass freelancer to be this scared of anything.

Prier inquired, "What's wrong Croix? I've never seen that look in your eyes before."

Looking up at her, the young man was greatly relieved. "I had a dream. The girl from my visions was dead on a hill. But as I stepped forward…I saw your body lying there instead."

"It's just a dream Croix," she reassured him, "You don't have to be afraid." But in reality, Prier's heart was pounding. She knew that it must have been graphic to have riled him up. Poor Croix had the eyes of an abused child. It perplexed her as to why her death in a dream was getting that kind of reaction. However, the young huntress decided to chalk it up to the girl in his visions worrying him more than she. After all, she was most likely a key to his past, someone important to him long ago. What was Prier? Just a friend who he'd only known for a few short weeks, that's all.

"It didn't feel that way. There was something so real about it. And there was this voice that called out to me to avenge you. He said it was humans that took you away, not Demons. But why would our own kind kill you? You're one of humanity's defenders," Croix inquired of her.

Prier replied, "Your head was probably just spinning from that boomerang hit. Just relax Croix."

He sighed. "If you had a dream like that, what would you think? Would you worry for the future of whoever was pictured? Or would you still brush it off like nothing happened? I don't think that anyone can understand this feeling unless it happened to them. Please, just leave me alone to think for a little. I'll be OK Prier, just need some rest to get the fear out of my head."

She didn't believe him. But Prier respected Croix's decision and left the infirmary. She went down to the chapel and knelt down in prayer. Her eyes were closed but her heart was open. Something was definitely going on here and the young Sister wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Oh Goddess Poitreene," she whispered, "Please, help ease the burden on Croix's soul that resulted from his lost memories. And help me to do whatever I can to aid him. He's the first male, excluding my father and brother, that I've felt this close to. I want to slow his suffering as best as I can. If I was the one feeling that way, I know he would be the first person to come to me and try to protect me, my heart tells me this. So if it's him, I want to do the same. I've never felt this way before, help me to deal with this problem." As she continued to speak, tears began to form in her eyes and flow down her ashen cheeks. But Prier didn't care. Even if another Sister came by and saw her crying, it didn't matter now. All that mattered to her was one man's pain, and her efforts to protect him from it and his dreams.

Other Sisters were passing by the chapel, noticing Prier's prayers. But none of them went to her side, lest she see they saw her weak moment. Everyone who worked with the fiery huntress knew of her pride problems. They knew that if she was upset over something, it had to be big. Best to let her show her feelings to the Goddess, she would help the girl with her problems.

Only one person came over to sit by her, her younger brother. Culotte looked much like his sister, only his hair was light brown with a tint of red like Croix's. He was in his blue ceremonial robes instead of his usual clothes because he had come to do some cleaning in the chapel. But upon seeing his older sister, the pillar of strength in his harsh life, kneeling and crying in front of a stone statue of the Goddess, he walked over and sat by her side. A single hand was placed on her shoulder as he wished he was strong enough to help her with whatever was troubling her soul.

'Sis, I don't know what to do. How can I help you?' he asked himself.

* * *

**Teefa's Last Words...  
**

I was depressed and stressed when I wrote this chapter. My last semester was hectic and I had at least four or five mental breakdowns. This was written during one of them. I just had to write something with a lot of inner demons, pains, fears, and drama in order to get through that distress. It actually helped me cope a little and my professor loved the different pace, seeing as all my other stories were light and airy. And no this doesn't mean that Croix is only thinking of Prier as Angelique. His dream is based on the fact that he already lost someone he cared about once and he fears that it will happen again.


End file.
